Sivan Tehila, M.S.

Program Director, Professor, Cybersecurity Executive, and Entrepreneur
M.S. in Cybersecurity

Expertise and Research Interests

Industrial Cybersecurity, Information Security Management, Cloud Security, Social Entrepreneurship, Technical Cybersecurity, Educational Cybersecurity, Women in Cybersecurity

Sivan Tehila, M.S.

sivan.tehila@yu.edu | 646-592-4763 | 205 Lexington Avenue, 7th FL, NYC

Sivan Tehila is a cybersecurity executive, educator, and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience spanning national security, critical infrastructure, enterprise cybersecurity, and higher education. She serves as Program Director and Professor of the M.S. in Cybersecurity program at Yeshiva University's Katz School of Science and Health, where she leads academic strategy, curriculum development, faculty collaboration, industry engagement, and student success initiatives.

Since assuming leadership of the program, Tehila has played a key role in expanding and modernizing the curriculum to address emerging challenges in cybersecurity, cloud security, cyber resilience, governance, and artificial intelligence. She works closely with industry leaders, employers, and professional organizations to ensure students graduate with both the technical expertise and leadership skills needed to succeed in an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape. Her contributions to cybersecurity education and student mentorship were recognized with the ISACA Outstanding Academic Advisor Award.

As a professor, Tehila teaches graduate courses in Cybersecurity Audit, Assessment & Compliance, Cloud Security, Cyber Risk Management, Governance & Security Operations, and Cybersecurity Capstone. Drawing on her extensive industry and government experience, she emphasizes practical, real-world learning that bridges theory and practice while preparing students to address today's most pressing cybersecurity challenges.

In addition to her academic leadership, Tehila is the Founder and CEO of Onyxia Cyber, an award-winning cybersecurity company that developed an AI-powered Cybersecurity (CPM) and Operational Cyber Resilience platform. Through Onyxia, she works with organizations across healthcare, critical infrastructure, financial services, retail, and other regulated industries to help them proactively measure, manage, and improve cybersecurity performance and resilience.

Prior to her work in academia and entrepreneurship, Tehila served for a decade in the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Corps, where she held several senior leadership positions, including Intelligence Officer, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the Research & Analysis Division, and Head of the Information Security Department. She completed her military service with the rank of Captain. Her experience in military intelligence and national security provided a foundation in cyber defense, risk management, information security governance, and the protection of highly sensitive environments.

Following her military service, Tehila held cybersecurity leadership and advisory roles at RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems, Israel Railways, and Perimeter 81, where she helped organizations strengthen cybersecurity programs, implement cloud security and Zero Trust strategies, and improve operational resilience.

A recognized thought leader in cybersecurity, Tehila is a frequent keynote speaker, published author, and member of the Forbes Technology Council. Her work focuses on cybersecurity leadership, cyber resilience, AI security, governance, and workforce development. She is also the founder of Cyber Ladies NYC, a professional community dedicated to advancing women in cybersecurity through mentorship, education, and leadership development.

Quote

“AI is transforming cybersecurity from a reactive discipline into a predictive one. The future belongs to organizations that can combine human expertise, operational resilience, and intelligent automation to proactively manage cyber risk.”

— Sivan Tehila